Speech Act Analysis of the Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s Inaugural Address on 20th of January 2021 as the 46th President of the USA

Abstract

President Biden took the oath of office on 20 January 2021 at a time when the US faces both public health and an economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to highlight the speech acts used by President Biden in his inaugural speech. This paper analyzed the direct and indirect speech acts. To analyze the speech acts from all these aspects, both qualitative and quantitative analysis was carried out. The framework employed for this analysis was the Speech Act theory which was introduced by Austin and Searle. The findings revealed that his speech includes maximum directive and representative acts while the use of direct speech was also evident. The paper concludes that the speech act analysis highlights the demanding yet informative, and supportive nature of the President of the US.

Keywords: Jo Biden, Inaugural Speech, Speech Acts of Jo Biden, Illocutionary Acts, Speech Act Analysis, Direct Speech Acts, Indirect Speech Acts, January 20, 2021, 46Th President of the USA